Dido and Aeneas is an opera by Henry Purcell, composed around 1689. It is based on Book IV of Virgil’s Aeneid and tells the tragic love story of Dido, the Queen of Carthage, and Aeneas, a Trojan hero. The opera is structured in a prologue and three acts. Dido falls in love with Aeneas when he seeks refuge in Carthage. However, a Sorceress, who despises Dido, plots to separate them. She sends a false message to Aeneas, disguised as the god Mercury, instructing him to leave Carthage. Aeneas decides to obey, leading to Dido’s despair and eventual suicide. The opera concludes with Dido’s famous lament, “When I am laid in earth”. This work is notable for being Purcell’s only true opera and one of the earliest English operas. It remains a significant piece in the Baroque opera repertoire.
The first performance of Dido and Aeneas outside England took place on December 14, 1895, in Dublin.
Composer: Henry Purcell
Conductor: John Dexter
Choreographer: Stephanie Dufresne
CAST
Goethe Choir
Dido – Sharon Carty
Aeneas – Benjamin Russell
Belinda – Hannah Gries
Sorceress – Katy Kelly
Dancer – Stephanie Dufresne
Guitar Solo – Perry Schack
Harpsichord – David O’Shea
Lumiere Quartet
PROGRAM:
3 brief choral works
Hans Leo Hassler – Nun fanget an
Trad. (arr. Mary Kelly) – Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn
Thomas Morley – Now is the Month of Maying
Antonio Vivaldi – Guitar Concerto in D major – Allegro giusto / Largo / Allegro
Henry Purcell – Dido and Aeneas – Overture / Act I
Interval
Henry Purcell – Dido and Aeneas – Act II, Scene 1/ Act II, Scene 2/ Act III
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Presented By: Goethe Choir
Duration: 120 mins. One interval
